


Welcome to Survival Classroom

by sugxrwfflez



Series: assassination classroom AU [1]
Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Blood and Violence, Established Relationship, F/F, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Minor Violence, Original Character(s), Post-Apocalypse, Post-Zombie Apocalypse, SPOILERS FOR MOST OF THE SERIES, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:55:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25585528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugxrwfflez/pseuds/sugxrwfflez
Summary: If you had told Karma that when he woke up this morning that he’d have to deal with people suddenly losing their minds and trying to attack each other, well he probably would have said you’d lost yours. And yet...here he was. Crouched behind a bush, watching the world around him descend into complete and utter anarchy. Thinking about how he got to this point felt almost surreal.****Assassination Classroom zombie AU except they aren't just basic zombies and their existence actually has an explanation.
Relationships: Akabane Karma/Shiota Nagisa
Series: assassination classroom AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1854385
Comments: 5
Kudos: 49





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Some pretty important things I should mention before we get into this. This story is part of an AU I've created where they actually do find a way to save Korosensei and he is turned into a human with tentacles similar to Itona or Kayano, except he isn't harmed by them. Time will tell if I ever actually write a prequel story actually going into depth about how this happened. I'll elaborate on when in the TL this takes place but just know that Korosensei takes his human from in this story unless specifically stated otherwise.
> 
> Second involves an OC who is actually pretty important to the plot so I may as well give a brief summary. Her name is Ayana Akabane, and she is the twin sister of Karma. She isn't a part of 3-E nor does she know anything about what happened there. 
> 
> Lastly I'm gonna be honest with you, I have no idea if I'm actually going to finish this. If people seem interested in it I might take a stab at it so let me know if you want me to continue this. 
> 
> With that all out of the way, I really hope you all enjoy!

If you had told Karma that when he woke up this morning that he’d have to deal with people suddenly losing their minds and trying to attack each other, well he probably would have said you’d lost yours. And yet...here he was. Crouched behind a bush, watching the world around him descend into complete and utter anarchy. Thinking about how he got to this point felt almost surreal. 

Initially he didn’t even realize that there was something wrong. However, the second he stepped outside, sister droning on about something he couldn’t be beothered to listen to, he’d gotten the gut feeling that something was very wrong. He couldn’t place exactly what it was, but walking down the street he couldn’t help the feeling of unease. 

Why were all the shops still closed at 7am? What ever happened to that old lady who walks her dog down this road every morning like clock work? How come only the houses further down the street received their mail? It was almost as if everyone had up and dropped off the face of the planet this morning. 

At the very least Ayana didn’t seem to be concerned, fighting with a bobby pin she just couldn’t get in quite right. Maybe everything really was in his head and he was just overly paranoid? Surely there had to be a reasonable explanation, no need to up to the worst case scenario. They’re gonna turn the corner and everything is going to be-

“Karma.” Ayana stopped dead in her tracks, shoving her arm in from of him as a means of stopping him to. 

_Shit, she sounds way too serious, definitely not just in my head then._

“You see that lady walking towards us?”

_Of course I do, she’s the first person we’ve seen all day._

“She’s just stumbling around, don’t you think that’s kinda weird?”

_Of course I think it's weird! Anyone with half a functioning braincell would be able to pick up on how strange it looks for a middle aged woman in business attire to be shambling down the street like she’d just stepped out of a bar room._

“Karma? Are you even listening to me?!”

“Huh! Oh, yeah. I..heard you. And yes I also agree that this is definitely off.” He glanced up ahead at the woman suspiciously. Maybe something was wrong and she needed help? Before taking the time to really think about it he stepped closer, almost as if on impulse. 

“Uh, excuse me? Are you alright?” No response. He tried again, waving at her face as she got closer, still nothing. _Why the hell are you ignoring me?_

“Can you hear me?! Hello!” He more or less shouted this time, that seemed to do it. 

She whipped her head up at him.

_Hang on, what’s up with your eyes?_

Before Karma really began to process it she was suddenly charging straight at them with the sort of speed that should be totally impossible for someone who couldn’t even walk in a straight line a few seconds ago. 

Karma immediately shoved Ayana hard, knocking her into the wall of the building beside them, the instinct to protect her overriding any actual rational thought. He grabbed the woman by her arm when she grabbed at him and twisted it behind her back, slamming her on the ground with all the strength he could muster. 

Pinning her down should not have been a problem for him given the fact that he’d pulled this exact same move on a grown man twice his size, and probably wouldn’t have even needed to request his classmates to dogpile him. But this woman, she was way stronger than she should’ve been and it required him to put all his weight into pinning her down with how hard she squirmed in his grasp. The sound she made was almost earpiercing, something between a scream and outright growl. 

“What the hell, why are you so fucking strong?!” He shouted in equal parts confusion and frustration, eyes staring daggers into the back of her head. In doing this he noticed something sticking out of the back of her neck, and moving the long black hair that covered it confirmed a suspicion he really didn’t want to believe. Tentacles, too small to actually extend but still very much present, sticking out of her neck almost like a plant sprouting out of the ground. 

_But how! Shiro has to have something to do with this if he gave them to Itona, but for what? Why is he so desprate to kill Korosensei, to go this far has to be more than just money, and the price on his head is void now anyway!_

He wasn’t sure if he should be feeling confused or concerned which resulted in an uncomfortable mix of them both. 

“Karma? What is it, you look pale as a ghost.” Ayana asked as she brushed the dirt of her skirt. 

“I-” What the hell was he supposed to say?! He never even told her about Korosensei, which was big because he told her everything, how could he possibly explain. 

“Watch out!” 

He wasn’t entirely sure whether it was his sister screaming at the top of her lungs or the realization that he was losing his grip on the thing under him that finally brought him back to reality but either way it didn’t really matter because this woman has broken free from his hold and if he didn’t think fast she’d probably end up beating the hell out of him, if not outright killing him. 

She knocked him on his back and jumped on him. Karma gripped her by the throat when it seemed like she was trying to bite at him but even strangulation seemed to be a fruitless venture. 

_Shit, there’s no way in hell I’ll be able to reach for my bag like this!_

“Get off of him!” Ayana cried out and then suddenly something wet was hitting him in the face and this woman had gone completely limp in his hold. Immediately he tossed her off of him and sat up with a gasp, that was too fucking close. 

Ayana stood over top of him, clutching a broken brick in one hand, with a look of abject horror. Karma forced himself up and pulled her into a hug. 

“Listen to me, because I need you to hear the words coming out of my mouth. What you just did, you didn’t have a choice. I probably wouldn’t have been able to get her off of me and even if I had she wouldn’t have attacked you too. “

“I just killed someone just to save your stupid ass!” 

“True but she definitely wasn’t human..”

“What? Why wouldn’t she be?” The only thing Karma could think of was that tentacle and white, vacant eyes. 

He sighed and grabbed her hand “Later, when we’re somewhere safe. We don’t have time right now for me to explain.” 

“Where are we going?” She asked quietly

“Nothing’s changed. We’re still headed to the school. If things are as bad as I think they are at least then we’ll be able to see more about whatever the hell these things are. Plus, we’re safer on that mountain then anywhere else.” 

She nodded quietly and started to walk beside him again, albeit much closer to him than before. 

Karma couldn’t help but think that this whole situation was probably a lot worse than he was already picturing and all he could hope was that the others were safe. 

_Nagisa…_

No! Now isn’t the time to be worrying about that, about him. They were all smart, trained assassins and besides...Korosensei did alway used to say that if something were to happen that we should try to get to him if they could. He always thought it was so stupid and unnecessary for him to say that. 

_Actually I believe my exact words were “What are the odds of something happening that would be even more catastrophic than you literally blowing up the entire planet come spring.”_

Fate sure was a funny thing. They managed to save him and the world is still probably going to hell. 

Things seemed to be getting exponentially worse the closer they got to the school. Where you normally saw a road bustling with traffic was instead flooded with off roaded cars and way more bodies than Karma wanted to acknowledge. However, something strange happened as they got closer to the gates. Or rather..the strange part was that nothing was happening at all. Despite all the carnage it seemed like these things just weren’t even aware they were there in the first place. Definitely made him think. 

As they approached the gates they saw people chasing each other and others stumbling around the same as that woman, with the same milky white, vacant look in their eyes. Karma pulled Ayana into a nearby bush, he had an idea. 

“Karma...everyone. They're literally trying to eat each other! What the hell are we supposed to do?! Are we going to-” 

He slapped her across the cheek, hard. “Shut up and get a hold of yourself!” He said in as much of a whisper as he could muster. “I’m not going to let one of those things hurt you, so get that whole thought out of your head, and for gods sake stop yelling before one of them realizes we’re in here.”

She frowned and rubbed her face, “That hurt, y’know.” 

“That was sort of the point.” He deadpanned. 

“Well tell me, Mr. Strategist, what exactly do you have in mind?” 

Karma ignored the stupid nickname. “Think about how these things actually act for a minute. That woman didn’t bother us until I was right in her face but she definitely heard us from down the street or she wouldn’t have kept walking towards us.”

“And?”

Karma sighed heavily “I think their blind, or at least, their vision is bad enough that they mostly go by sound. Which means if we’re quiet-”

“We should be able to get out of here under the guard of the kind of distraction everyone else is making.” 

Karma nodded, “Exactly. However we shouldn’t bet on that so we should have some sort of backup plan.” 

Ayana quirked an eyebrow as she watched her brother dig into his bag before pulling out a small pocket knife. 

“You’re not- You don’t actually plan on using that do you?” She asked, looking mildly horrified. 

Karma stared down at the pocket knife in his hand for a minute and swallowed the lump in his throat. Despite the amount of fights he was in, he’d never actually used it before. Usually his fists were more than enough to finish the job, this was only ever meant to be for just in case. 

“Not unless I have to..Now come on, before they close the gates and we’re totally fucked.” 

They carefully stood up and looked around, and sure enough any of these things that were around seemed to completely ignore their presence as they shambled past. Maybe they glanced over at the leaves rustling but besides that, nothing. As he was about to step out he gripped Ayana’s hand before whispering, “Also, stay on my ass no matter what. We’re clear?”

“Crystal.” She said, voice laced with what sounded a lot like sarcasm, not that he had the time to really care about that as he pulled them into the gates of the school. He figured it probably would have been fine to walk straight through the crowd as long as they were quiet about it, but there was still too much about these things he didn’t know and there was no reason to take unnecessary risks. Instead he directed them around most of the crowd and even as they reached the path that led to class 3-E he still gripped that knife in his hand with enough force to probably snap one of the flimsy plastic ones he was used to. 

Eventually they made it far enough away from the main campus that Karma figured it was probably safe to just book it to the top of the mountain, so that’s exactly what they did. Normally not even he would have had the kind of endurance for something like that but it was either fear or adrenaline that got him up there, heart pounding in his head the entire time. 

They made it to the front of the building and collapsed unceremoniously in the grass, gasping for air and praying to whatever god may be out there that there wasn’t anything following them. 

“That...seriously sucked...how do you do this everyday?!”

“When you're not running for your life it isn’t so bad.” Karma muttered 

A few seconds later he heard the sound of a sliding door and the footsteps of several people running over to them. 

“You really have no idea how happy I am to see you.” Korosensei’s voice seemed to cut through the fog in his head as he forced himself onto his knees to look up at him. 

“Yeah. I hope you don’t mind me bringing my sister here, because I was going to whether you liked it or not.” 

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” You could practically hear the warmth in his voice as he walked over to her, “Do you need a hand dear?” 

“I’m alright, just a bit winded.” She smiled at him as she stood up. “Name’s Ayana Akabane, nice to meet ya!”

“Certainly no mistaking you two as siblings.” Korosensei responded, “You two look like carbon copies of each other, minus the fact that you're the opposite gender of course.” 

“Twins. But I like to think she was the surprise.” Karma mused as he stood up to glance over at the people who’d followed him out, thank god they were alright.

“You're covered in blood.” Nagisa said in concern as he pushed through to run up to Karma, hugging him tight. 

“It’s fine, it’s not mine.” Karma couldn’t help but smile at the boy in front of him, he truly didn’t know what he’d do if he hadn’t made it up here. 

“You should still clean it off, and soon. Blood can transfer all kinds of icky viruses, or even whatever has made everyone lose their minds.” Korosensei said before handing him a tissue. 

Karma took it from his hand, not really bothering to wonder why on earth he’s carrying tissues in the first place as they all walked back inside. He couldn’t help but wonder if Korosensei even knew that the very thing causing all of this was a part of him. Then there’s Ayana to consider, eventually he’d have to tell her about him too. That he isn’t actually human. He can cross that bridge when he gets to it, for now he’ll just be grateful everyone is still alive. 


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its time to adapt if they have any hope of survival, but how could you possibly learn to get used to something like this?

The first few days were an absolute whirlwind of chaos that Karma wasn’t sure he even wanted to fully recall. Getting to the mountain seemed like the safest bet, and at the time it probably was, but the longer he sat in that classroom thinking about everything they’d seen the more he’d began to wonder if hiding up there was really benefiting anyone. 

At the very least they’d all seemed to make up there in one piece, and as glad he was to see everyone, Karma couldn’t help but think that was a little too good to be true. It seemed like half the school was in that crowd of people getting chased, but they all made it out safe? Maybe it was all some sort of karmic punishment for how they’d always treated their class.

_Heh..now THAT'D be ironic. Its almost funny in a fucked up sort of way._

However after their first night Korosensei walked into the classroom with a look on his face that Karma was unsure he’d ever seen before, he was dead serious. 

“Well class, surely you all recognize that we can’t all hide here forever. And as much as my gut tells me to protect you all, there are things we need to do as soon as possible if we want to make it through whatever this is.”

The whole class seemed to pass glances across the room at each other. Of course they all knew they’d eventually have to go back outside, but no one was feeling really up to doing so. No one wanted to see any of that again. 

“I figured the best course of action at this time would be to divide the class into two groups. One would go back into town to see what supplies you could find, and the other would come with me so we could look into how these things work more closely. However I will not force any of you to do either if you don’t want to. I know this whole situation must be terrifying for you kids and I can’t imagine the things you’ve all seen.”

Karma couldn’t help the frown that crossed his face as he listened. Korosensei was speaking to them all like they weren’t training less than a few weeks ago to assassinate the fastest being in existence. Like they couldn’t fight with a knife or shoot a gun with their eyes closed if they really wanted to. It was almost absurd, for the first time in almost a year their teacher was speaking to them like they were regular junior high students and this was a regular class. Evidently he wasn’t the only one to share this sentiment if the faces of his fellow classmates were any indication, however no one spoke up. 

_I guess I have to do everything around here._

“I’m sure there are some of you that think I’m being dramatic.” Korosensei seemed to stare directly at Karma the second he said this.

_What did those tentacles give you magical mind reading abilities too or am I just too predictable?_

“And I know you all are more than capable of defending yourself, but I will not put any of you in a position you do not want to be in. You’ve already been put through so much this year because of me. So at this time if there is anybody that doesn’t think they would be able to handle leaving the mountain, I want you to stand now.” 

Everyone looked at each other but no one stood up, exactly like Karma anticipated. Not even Ayana, which admittedly _did_ surprise him a bit. Everyone eyed each other like they were waiting for someone to make a move, but it never came. A few more seconds of silence and then Korosensei sighed again. 

“Are you all sure about this?”

“Sir, this may not be exactly what we were training for but that won’t stop us from doing what needs to be done. “ Isogai said definitively. 

Korosensei gave what was probably the first genuine smile in days and a small nod. “Well alright then.”

****

_And that was it. We got split up into two groups, brains went with Korosensei and those of us more skilled at fighting went down town. It actually went a lot better than I expected. With a group of 10 I was so sure something would go wrong, even though I didn’t want to think about it. But Isogai is apparently a better leader than I gave him credit for._

_The group that went into town admittedly didn’t find much, at least not for a whole class worth of students. However it was enough, for a while. We found food, water, medical supplies, basically anything you’d expect to find at your average grocery store. It wasn’t anything special. But we didn’t need special. We needed to stay alive._

_The group that stayed on the mountain had what you could argue was the more important job. We probably wouldn’t have made it this long if it wasn’t for what they discovered...anyone can loot a store, especially assassins trained to kill and in stealth. Not that we had to be with all that commotion. You could probably have robbed a bank that day and get away with it, but I'm getting off track._

_Apparently Okuda found out through a few tests that my hunch was dead on, like usual, they are blind. More than that their senses seemed to be completely dead, except for scent and hearing, which is definitely heightened. Makes sense if you think about it. Explains the eyes at least. Korosensei learned through a too-close-for-comfort encounter that they're a lot stronger than they look. I could have told them that, I’m sure Ayana probably mentioned that woman...I wonder who she used to be…_

_I don’t think any of that is half as important as their third discovery though. I have no idea how they even though up the idea but someone used one of those stupid knives we got to assassinate Korosensei with and for some reason it actually worked. I mean it’s convenient, sure, the quieter we are the better, but why? Those weapons were made specifically for those tentacles meaning that whatever the hell those things are that they have tentacles too. I don’t know why that surprises me, I saw it myself. But still, that means someone is responsible for this. Did they do it on purpose? I don’t know if I want to know the answer..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well considering I have actually gotten requests to continue this story and the fact that I've finally been able to crawl my way out of the writers block I was smacked with in Mid-August, I figured I'd finally update this. The last two chapters were a bit of a prologue just to get the feel for the story, but the main plot is gonna start to kick off starting next chapter. I hope you liked the bit at the end. In case it wasn't made clear the first chapter, basically everything written in italics is essentially Karma's thoughts. I wanted to play around with that idea by having sections where he's writing things in a journal, I think it would be a fun way to get a real look into his head. Let me know your thoughts on it!
> 
> Anyway I hope you enjoyed this and HOPEFULLY the next chapter won't take nearly as long to come out.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I disappear for almost 2 months and then drop back in with a chapter thats this short, and I'm sorry about that. I do actually have the next chapter started but I needed a nice transition from past to present and this was the best way I could think to do it. But next chapter is on its way soon, I promise. Before New Years ideally.

The night hours are long. For as long as Karma could remember he was very much a night person. Whether it be for better or for worse, he just could never seem to fall asleep at a “normal” hour. Probably for worse now, considering how much they do in a day. That feeling was only multiplied now as he stared out the window of their former classroom, watching snowflakes fall from the sky at a slow but steady rate. 

It had been months now since this all began, about two. It was December now, rolling into winter, and if things were normal they’d probably be scrambling together to try to find some sort of plan. Korosensei would still be a problem. Now it didn’t feel like it mattered whether the world went boom come Spring. Not that anyone was really worried about that anyway. That was supposed to be the whole point of their totally not legal trip to space. 

_ God I can’t believe Mr. Karasuma actually agreed to that. Or that it actually worked. If I didn’t know any better I wouldn’t think he was any less human than us.  _

His eyes were locked onto the mountains up ahead, almost as if he was hoping it would let him fall asleep faster. The classroom had long since been gutted of its desks, and any that still remained were in the dead center because the tables in the teacher’s lounge were too big to move. It was probably about midnight by now if he had to guess. 

The moon was out in full force, or at least what was left of it, illuminating the entire courtyard and making the snow on top of it shine. Beyond that were a bunch of tiny stars, shining almost just as bright. For the first time in a while things felt...peaceful. 

His attention was broken when he felt something shift against him, which just reminded him that he was being sandwiched between his sister and boyfriend. In any other situation he might have been annoyed by the blue hair brushing against the side of his neck, but Nagisa always looked so relaxed when he slept that he couldn’t bring himself to care. 

It did however remind him of their shitty situation. Sleeping on the floor of a decrepit classroom that even the school’s own principle wanted to abandon. It was cold and uncomfortable and it wasn’t easy to ignore how many of them were missing. He’d never admit it, but it was something he thought about a lot on nights like this. 

_ Takebayashi. Hazama. Hiyami. Fuwa. Okajima. Ritsu may as well be. They’re all just gone...and for what? What did we get out of it? Some more information about the bastards worked? Who cares about that. It definitely wasn’t worth losing our friends. I’d skin whoever was responsible for this mess alive if I was able.  _

_ Whatever. No point in dwelling over it now. Being upset about it won’t bring them back.  _

Karma sighed and turned over to stare at the wall, and Nagisa as well by consequence. His face tucked itself into the side of Karma’s shoulder, hair splayed out against the floor from where it was falling out of it’s pigtails. The display was almost..cute. Yeah, it was cute. 

Karma regarded him with a small smile before pulling up the one blanket that Ayana hadn’t snatched up in her rolling around. He wrapped a single arm around Nagisa’s sleeping form and placed a small kiss on the top of his head before he allowed himself to be lulled asleep by the sound of his breathing. 


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At first, everything looked relatively normal. As normal as a building that hadn’t been used in months could look. But as they got closer to the entrance, and even more so once they got inside, the reality of the situation hit. Not for the first time, Karma was grateful they walked to school together that day. That he dragged Ayana up that mountain while he still could. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if now is the appropriate time to be adding this, but gonna throw in a small warning because this chapter will include mentions of PTSD related behavior and panic attacks so yeah. It's very brief but I still figured I should probably mention it just in case.

“Are you sure that you know what you’re doing Karma?” 

“It’s not fucking rocket science, and what part of ‘stay still’ do you not understand?”

The flickering light of the rising sun began flooding in through the window of the old classroom, casting shadows all over the wooden floors courtesy of the desks behind them. Nagisa blinked, once - twice - and watched as long locks of baby blue fell from his shoulders and onto the floor. It was true that Nagisa had always wanted short hair, but he never expected it to be like this. 

“Tilt your head forward for a second.”

“Didn’t you just get done bitching that I don’t know how to stay still.” However he did comply, albeit apprehensively, “What do you plan on doing now?” 

His question was answered almost as quick as it was asked when he felt the cool metal of a blade rested at the base of his neck. 

“You said you wanted the bottom part shaved down right? I don’t see clippers anywhere. So we’re gonna have to get creative.” 

He heard more than felt the way the edge of the knife slowly glided over the bottom half of his head. Distantly he knew he should probably feel at least mildly on edge knowing how easily Karma could slip and accidentally cut him, but for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to. He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t trust Karma. 

“Well, that’s as good as it’s gonna get.” Karma’s fingers brushed off whatever bits of hair hadn’t fallen off and Nagisa could hear the quiet clicking sound of his knife flicking back into place. 

By the time his eyes finally focused enough to process what he was seeing, he couldn’t help the grin that had found itself on his face. He hadn’t touched his bangs much, as per Nagisa’s request, but cut the sides and back and given him a sort of undercut? He raised his hand up to touch the back of his neck, silently impressed with how even it managed to be for having been cut with a knife. It was a bit choppy to be sure, but all things considered this could have gone a lot worse. 

“So, do you like it?” Nagisa was snapped out of his slight trance when Karma placed one hand on his shoulder and the other on the top of his head, ruffling the hair a bit. Blue eyes met piercing gold in the mirror and not for the first time Nagisa was struck by how much taller than him Karma really was, and odds are that would only continue to grow with age. 

Nagisa smiled and tiled his head up to look at his face directly, “I do, thank you.” 

“Yeah well, it's more practical this way. Wouldn’t want you dying because your hair got caught on something.” Karma muttered, stepping back to walk over to where they were sitting, brushing up the hair that had piled up. 

Oh right, the whole reason for this in the first place. After having woken up because someone accidentally pulled his hair for the third time this month, he’d officially been fed up. If it was this easy for someone to just accidentally roll overtop of it, then how hard could it be for someone to grab him by it if they wanted to? He already knew the answer to that, and it wasn’t hard. Karma was more than willing to demonstrate that fact, whether it was to make a point or just to spite was anyone’s guess. 

“Do you like it?” 

“I don’t really care. As long as you’re happy with it.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

Karma glanced over at him for a second before it hit him exactly what Nagisa was referring to. He wanted to know if Karma thought it looked good. He gave him a small smile and nodded, “Of course I do.”

*

“We’re definitely not getting back up there in this mess.” 

Karma practically yanks his leg up, the burning sensation of snow seeping through the fabric of his pants. The situation was a concoction of dismal chance and even worse planning, but at this point he couldn’t even be irritated. Of course the weather would clear up until exactly the moment they planned to come back. Why wouldn’t it? 

“We should’ve waited another day to come down here. This is on us.” Isogai voices over the blowing wind. Karma only barely catches it before it’s carried away. 

Nobody responds to that. Isogai is right and they can’t deny that. 

“How were we supposed to see this coming? It only flurried last night and that melted before noon.” Nagisa muttered, albeit bitterly. 

“When’s the last time you saw a snow storm like this in Japan anyway?” Sugino practically shouted, and even if it was right in Karma’s ear he couldn’t blame him. He could hardly hear his own footsteps. 

“When’s the last time our lives have been normal? This feels appropriate.” 

Isogai sighed and stopped in his tracks, and it was probably lucky how close behind him Karma was with how hard it was to see anything. He could have easily ran into him otherwise. 

“Uh dude? Now isn’t really the time to stop and admire the surroundings.” Karma wasn’t exactly the type to whine about their current situation, but he’d be lying if he said it hadn’t gotten tedious. The snow was already up to his damn knees and Isogai wanted to _stop?_

“I’m _trying_ to see if there’s any shelter nearby because you’re right, there’s no climbing that mountain right now. Even if a lot of the snow piled on the trees, we can’t see anything.”

“We can’t be that far away from the main campus right? We could just hole up in there for the night.” 

Karma could practically see the gears turning in the boy’s head, and he nearly had half a mind to just take Sugino’s suggestion immediately. Fuck the risk, it can’t be much worse than freezing to death. 

“ I don’t love the idea, but it’s the best one we’ve got. Let's turn around and follow our tracks until it leads us out of the woods. It should be a lot easier to see everything once we’re out in the open.”

“Yeah and it’ll be a lot easier for everything to see us too.” Nagisa said with a frown. 

“Like I said, it’s not the perfect plan. But it’s the best we’ve got.” 

*

No one had any idea of what they would find when they entered the abandoned school, but nothing could have prepared them for something like this. 

At first, everything looked relatively normal. As normal as a building that hadn’t been used in months could look. But as they got closer to the entrance, and even more so once they got inside, the reality of the situation hit. Not for the first time, Karma was grateful they walked to school together that day. That he dragged Ayana up that mountain while he still could. 

The doors were frozen shut, leaving Karma and Sugino to take turns prying the damn things open, before Karma got fed up and kicked in a window instead. 

The first thing to catch his attention was probably the blood, mud, and water caked on the normally pristine floors. Then it was the abundance of glass, from windows and display cases he definitely _did not_ shatter. It took a few seconds before he could decide what the worst part was. Maybe it was the lockers that were left open amidst the panic by owners too afraid to close them, or even how blisteringly cold it still was. No, the worst part was definitely how deafeningly, eerily, _silent_ it was. 

Karma had to admit that he never had the highest opinion of the school. The teachers were spineless, the students were bullies, and Principal Asano was...well what exactly _wasn’t_ wrong with that man? He was pissed when he was sent to E-Class initially, but in the end it was the breath of relief he’d been looking for. But the school was always so...busy. There were always people running from point A to point B. So to hear _nothing_ , for the only sound to be the wind whistling through cracked glass and concrete, his stomach twisted as a feeling of dread rested heavily on his shoulders. 

“We should..probably set up in the gym.. It’s wide open for an easy exit.” Isogai said, hoping the scene would be easier to process if he just didn’t acknowledge it. 

“Good idea...we can look around then. See what’s left.” Nagisa suggested

Isogai nodded his agreement, and the group headed in the direction of the gym. 

Being indoors may have evened their odds a bit, it was still cold. Sugino broke an old desk in the gym’s storage room to use for firewood, and Karma was mildly impressed with how well it burned, not that it mattered. He couldn’t sit still right now if he tried, and boy did he want to. Every muscle in his legs begged him to sit, to relax, to do anything other than continue to pace but he just couldn’t do it. Not while knowing the danger they were still in. Not while thinking about what happened here, how many people died. How many infected were hiding in wait to attack them the second they fell asleep. 

“Karma, sit and warm up.” Nagisa’s voice was almost enough to snap him out of his thoughts. 

“But-”

“ _Sit.”_

Nagisa’s voice held no room for argument, and Karma wasn’t sure he had the energy left to do so anyway. He conceeded, reluctantly, sitting down beside him without another word. 

“You’re overthinking again. You’re going to exhaust yourself.” Nagisa muttered under his breath as they watched Isogai and Sugino walk over with more wood. 

“This should hopefully be enough for the night.” Sugino says to no one in particular as he piles it up a few feet away from them.

“We could get some sleep now that we're out of the snow.” Nagisa suggested 

“Still cold as a bitch in here even with the fire.” Karma added

“Optimistic as ever, huh Karma.” Sugino said with a smirk

“We should get all the rest we can get. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.” 

_If he thought about it hard enough, he could remember that day in distrubingly vivid detail._

_The feel of wet clothes from the rain that wouldn’t stop. The thick scent of sap that seemed permanently stuck to their skin, especially in the spring. The dense fog that made the forest look like a scene directly out of a horror movie. And that scream. That blood curdling scream._

_He was out front when he heard it, close to the trail that led down the mountain. Chopping wood, because even though summer was well on it’s way, Korosensei insisted they had firewood just in case. Not that he cared much, the monotonous task was actually pretty relaxing. And Terasaka wasn’t talking, so it could be worse._

_Okuda and Hinano ran around the corner of the building in a panic. It looked like they were running away from something. Not something, Takebayashi. For some reason it hadn’t fully clicked why they were running away from him, but by the time it did it didn’t matter anymore._

_He pulled the gun from his back pocket, shooting before he let himself think about it but it was already too late._

_Karma ran over to Hinano as fast as he could. Shoved the now limp body off of her. Refused to acknowledge who it was. His hand was pressed against the bite on the side of her neck in an attempt to stop the blood but it wouldn’t._

_All at once her body stopped moving. The eyes that had once been alight with warmth and brightness, now dull and lifeless. He wanted to panic, or cry, but one look into her eyes and he felt nothing at all._

_And so he sat there, straddling her legs, staring blankly at the red snaking down his wrist and disappearing into the fabric of his jacket. Distantly, he could hear the sound of screaming, and then felt someone pull him off of her. But he couldn’t register it. It didn’t feel real. It couldn’t possibly be real._

_“Karma?”_

_They were supposed to be safe here. This wasn’t supposed to happen._

_“Karma.”_

_Hinano was always so nice. What could she possibly have done to deserve this?_

_“KARMA!”_

Almost as if he’d been splashed in the face with a bucket of ice water, he shot up from his spot on the ground. Every limb in his body now seemed to be seized in a shaking, border-lining on convulsing fit. His gasping and erratic breaths pierced the air with an intense desperation and his hands clenched so tight that the skin are his knuckles stretched into a pale white, to where if he had the presence of mind he might wonder if it was enough to break his fingers. 

“Karma, hey Karma look at me.” Nagisa’s hand gripped his chin, forcing him to stare at the gentle blue eyes. The breaths heaving his chest in an erratic rhythm of uneven ups and rapid-downs were clearly visible to Nagisa’s discerning eyes. Confusion, apprehension, and something he could only describe as pain flicked across sharp features. 

“You’re ok. It was just a dream. We’re in the gym...remember? We had to hide here until the storm calmed down a bit.” Nagisa reached out with his other hand, slowly so that Karma could see the deliberate gesture of his movements, and wound his fingers into scarlet strands of hair, rubbing little circles in the back of his scalp. Smiled softly as he watched the way Karma’s face shifted and every bit of panic in his eyes seemed to melt away and his breathing returned to a more relaxed pace. 

“Talk to me Karma.” 

“Nagisa…” Karma uttered in something resembling a whimper if anyone were brave enough to accuse him of it. 

“Yes, Karma,” He replied softly, his warm breath was a stark contrast to the chilled air of the room. 

“I’m sorry..” 

Nagisa looked over at him in equal parts affection and despair, “It’s ok. You didn’t do anything wrong and besides..” He turned to look over at what looked vaguely like people across the other side of their makeshift fireplace. “They haven’t so much as twitched. Must sleep like the dead.”

Karma couldn’t help the mild cringe, perhaps ‘dead’ wasn’t the greatest choice of words?

Karma sighed and pulled away from his touch reluctantly, rubbing at his eyes as if it would make him forget what he’d dreamt faster. 

“I think I want to look around like we said earlier. You’d be amazed at the things people leave behind,” Karma muttered, standing up and brushing off some of the wrinkles from his now dry pant leg. 

“I’m coming with you. With how dark it is you shouldn’t be roaming this place alone.” 

A part of Karma felt like he should tell him to stay and sleep, but what was the point? That would just risk waking up Sugino and Isogai further, and he already knew Nagisa wouldn’t listen anyway. 

*

The mixture of the pocket flashlight and the moonlight filtering in through the windows provided an eerie glow throughout the decrepit corridor, bouncing murky shadows off the floor.

Nagisa made his way mindlessly towards the room at the bottom of the hallway. He agreed to meet with Karma after emptying the nearby vending machine, and while it may have taken him about 5 minutes longer to break the glass alone, he was now carrying a bag full of chips, cookies, and granola bars. So it could’ve been worse. 

He approached the large doors with an odd feeling of dread. It shouldn’t matter anymore what this room used to be. But it did. Because this was the principal’s office, and Nagisa was unsure anything good had ever happened in it. 

What he wasn’t expecting was for the door to be unlocked, or the fact that it looked like someone was sitting in the principal’s chair when he entered. Sitting there, facing to look out the window. 

“Karma? What are you doing.”

Karma emerged from a shadow from the left of the room so suddenly that it took Nagisa off guard, mostly because it was definitely _not_ where he was expecting him to be, pulling a startled yell from his throat.

“Being a snoop, but this place is dark as shit and you’re the one with the flashlight.” The look on Karma’s face said he didn’t even realize he’d startled the boy. 

Nagisa took a deep breath, couldn’t bring himself to be mad at him because it didn’t seem like it was on purpose, and figured the real culprit was probably Mr. Karasuma for teaching them to move so silently in the first place. 

“How did you get in here anyway without the key?” 

“He had shit locks, and I saw reason to wait outside. Just because we haven’t run into anything yet doesn’t mean I’m in the mood to tempt fate.” The small switchblade knife he used to break the lock weight heavily in his right-side pocket, where it always was. 

“And uh...our friend?” Nagisa gestured to the figure in the chair, the one he _thought_ was Karma. 

“The Principal. Not really sure how he died but you don’t have to worry. He won’t be getting back up.” Analytical detachment twisted Karma’s features into a mask of unyielding indifference. Like he was talking about something as casual as the weather or what he had planned for the weekend and not the dead body of their principal. 

“Better him than us I guess..” Nagisa heard himself respond mildly, what else was there to say? 

“I did, however, find something worth noting. Mainly this letter that I’m assuming is probably from the Ministry of Defense if this seal is anything to go by.” Karma said, voice laced in amusement, “I haven’t actually read it though.”

Nagisa pointed his flashlight at it and hummed, “I mean...we could though right? It does feel kind of weird reading other people’s mail though.” 

Nagisa couldn’t see his face very well, but he was sure the smile on it was nothing short of mischievous, “What’s he gonna do, give me detention?” 

Nagisa watched quietly and he ripped the seal of the letter off like a child on Christmas, which when considering the time and situation felt oddly appropriate. Karma cleared his throat in an exaggerated fashion before he began to read it aloud,

“...mmm insert generic introduction here…. More useless information that doesn’t matter…… AH! Here. Oh...it's that guy Shiro that was using Itona to get to Korosensei…”

“What is he saying?”

“Hold on! Let me find the important stuff, ” Karma frowned, “I have been working on something that if done properly should make the assassin I already sent in much more dangerous than he already was. I will be pulling Itona out of E-Class as soon as it's ready so we can get started and I trust you will deal with keeping the target occupied while that happens…” 

Karma scoffed almost incredulously at the sheer _audacity_ this man seemed to effortlessly exude. There was nothing that even suggested he thought he’d be denied. Asserting himself in a way that so few people could challenge. It was absolutely outrageous and exactly the sort of thing he’d expect from such a manipulative prick. 

“And there’s a damn check in there to buy his silence. Is this a fucking joke?” Karma wasn’t even sure who he was asking. 

“I guess that explains how this all...happened. Not that I think any of us doubted that. And I don’t think it changes anything either.” Nagisa frowned.

Karma stood there contemplating, Nagisa could see it in his eyes. For the first time in months there was some sort of lead to what was causing this. Maybe a hint of what they could do to stop it. And if they had found this earlier then maybe it would have mattered but now...now it was too late. And they both knew that. 

“I think we should head back to the gym.. Even if you aren’t in the mood to sleep. If Isogai or Sugino wake up and we’re gone they might panic.” Nagisa said after a few minutes of undisturbed silence. And who was Karma to argue with that? 

“Yeah...you’re right. “ He watched Nagisa fold the small piece of paper and place it in his back pocket before a small hand wormed its way into Karma’s palm, which he took without question. He had no doubt he would spend plenty of sleepless nights pondering the words on the page but for now all he wanted to do was make sure their friends were safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, fun story. I told myself I was going to have something up for Christmas, to celebrate Karma's birthday and all, and then I wrote 3 different drafts of this chapter and hated every single one of them. So instead I left it for a few weeks and came back with a completely different introduction to both the story and main plot. But I am happier with it now, and I'm also not going to process a date going forward, because I simply cannot force myself to write. 
> 
> ANYWAYS I hope you enjoyed this. I had a ton of fun writing Karma and Nagisa's interactions, especially Nagisa comforting him because I really don't believe Karma is as tough as he acts. I'll try to have the next chapter's wait a little less ridiculous.


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